Tag: Global Brief | Natural Awakenings Twin Cities

Trays Up: Air Meals May Get an Eco-Makeover

Dec 30, 2019

Each airline passenger produces about three pounds of trash per flight. British design firm PriestmanGoode has refashioned the economy meal tray, replacing plastic with renewable materials.

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Money Talks: Climate Change Increases Banks’ Financial Risks

Dec 30, 2019

Climate risks may cause home values to fall significantly; banks to stop lending to flood-prone communities; and towns to lose tax money needed to build seawalls and other protections.

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Uncowed by a Hurricane: Cattle Survive Churning Sea

Dec 30, 2019

Three cows turned up at Cape Lookout National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina months after being swept out to sea by Hurricane Dorian.

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Gender Gap: Sea Turtles Skew Female

Dec 30, 2019

Scientists warn that as the Earth gets hotter, sea turtle hatchlings worldwide are expected to trend dangerously female, potentially ending reproduction of the species.

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Rethinking Rice: Farmers Respond to Climate Change

Dec 30, 2019

Nfamara Badjie is planning to bring the rice-growing practices of his West African ethnic group to East Coast climates through his Ever-Growing Family Farm operation.

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Time’s Up: Renewable Energy Should Speed Progress

Dec 30, 2019

The International Energy Agency predicts that renewable energy will surpass coal as the world’s leading source of electricity by 2030.

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Beach Junk: Microplastics Found in Brand-New Sand

Dec 30, 2019

A Hawaiian beach that was formed by lava from the erupting Kilauea volcano in 2018 is already littered with invisible pieces of tiny plastic.

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Lab Steak: Making Meat Without Animals

Nov 27, 2019

The Alliance for Meat, Poultry and Seafood Innovation is seeking to create real meat from animal cells without the need to slaughter animals.

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Nature Cure: Forests and Shrubs Lower Medical Costs

Nov 27, 2019

Higher levels of forest and shrub cover throughout the country correspond to lower levels of Medicare health care spending.

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Charge It: Electric Vehicles Get Their Own ‘Gas’ Station

Nov 27, 2019

A Maryland gas station owner has replaced his pumps with electric vehicle chargers, making it the first such exclusive charging station in the country.

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Animal Rescue: Government Order Reduces Animal Testing

Nov 27, 2019

The Environmental Protection Agency is moving to reduce the animal testing it has long required to gauge the toxicity of chemicals before they can be bought, sold or used in the environment.

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Heave Ho: Cruise Line Abandons Plastic Bottles

Nov 27, 2019

As a result of its partnership with Just Goods, Inc., the Norwegian Cruise Line will replace single-use plastic bottles across its fleet by January 1, 2020.

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Lung Relief: Biosolar Leaf Purifies Air in London

Nov 27, 2019

Large, solar panel-like structures on the sides of buildings are being used to grow microalgae, phytoplankton and diatoms, purifying the air while generating breathable oxygen.

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Repurposing Weeds: Pond Plants Offer Protein Strategy

Nov 27, 2019

Duckweed, a fast-growing plant that blooms on bodies of water, is a superior protein source relatively free of allergens or endangered by climate change.

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Golden Rules: Moms Launch Eco-Friendly Certification

Oct 31, 2019

A nonprofit has launched Moms Across America Gold Standard, a multi-tiered verification program for food, beverages and supplements that creates a simple, trustworthy resource for consumers.

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License to Plant: Gun Control in India Goes Green

Oct 31, 2019

In a northern India district, regulators require that applicants for gun licenses, in addition to normal background checks, must plant 10 trees and submit selfies as photographic evidence.

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Jaws of Life: California Bans Fur Trapping

Oct 31, 2019

California has enacted a ban on fur trapping for animal pelts, making it the first state to outlaw a centuries-old livelihood.

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Methane Matters: Fracking Linked to Global Warming

Oct 31, 2019

As methane concentrations increase in the atmosphere, evidence points to shale oil and gas as the probable source, but the EPA has taken steps to stop regulating it.

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Species Setback: EPA Weakens Protective Regulations

Oct 31, 2019

As the Endangered Species Act is being weaken, critics fear more oil and gas drilling will be allowed on land that is currently habitat-protected, impacting the climate crisis.

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Kool-Kats: Candy Wrappers Reimagined as Origami

Oct 31, 2019

KitKat chocolate bars from Nestlé's Japan confectionery branch will soon be wrapped in paper instead of plastic, with instructions for how to fashion it into the iconic origami crane.

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Polar Alert: Alaskan Sea Ice Melting Faster

Oct 31, 2019

Sea ice along northern Alaska disappeared far earlier than normal this spring, alarming coastal residents that rely on wildlife and fish.

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Healing Hazard: Health Care Sector Impacts Climate

Oct 31, 2019

A study claims that if the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet.

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Hot Habits: Phoenix Shifts to a Cooler Night Mode

Oct 31, 2019

In Phoenix, one of the hottest and fastest-warming cities in the U.S. with heat waves and triple-digit days, work and play are shifting into the cooler hours at dawn and dusk.

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Abandoned Crops: Economics Drive Farm Food Losses

Oct 31, 2019

According to a new study, about one-third of edible produce remains unharvested in the fields, where it rots and gets plowed under.

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Panther Power: Texas Pumas Counter Inbreeding

Sep 30, 2019

The endangered Florida panther has been saved from extinction thanks to the introduction of female Texan pumas.

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Other-Worldly Rock: Extraterrestrial Matter Found on Earth

Sep 30, 2019

A 3.3 billion-year-old layer of rock has been found in South Africa that contains two types of insoluble organic matter, suggesting extraterrestrial origins.

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Diplomatic Freeze: Conflicts Heating Up Over Arctic Reserves

Sep 30, 2019

Scientists warn that the Arctic is heating up much faster than the world average because of rising greenhouse gas emissions.

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Humanitarian Plea: Environmental Destruction Tapped as War Crime

Sep 30, 2019

A group of 24 scientists is urging that environmental destruction in conflict zones be treated as war crimes by establishing a new protocol in the Geneva Conventions.

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Tiny Scrubbers: Nanoparticles Purify Water

Sep 30, 2019

A chemical engineer who grew up in Tanzania has designed a water purification system based on nanomaterials that is being put into use throughout the country.

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Runoff Results: Gulf Dead Zone Keeps Growing

Sep 30, 2019

Agricultural fertilizer runoffs from the Midwest are resulting in an algae-choked “dead zone” the size of Massachusetts at the mouth of the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Fertile Fish: Unexpected Aquatic Rebound

Sep 30, 2019

Overfished and struggling widow rockfish are returning to the Pacific coast faster than expected, thanks to legal protections.

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Mushrooming Problem: Climate Crisis May Promote Superbugs

Sep 30, 2019

A new analysis links climate change to the recent global rise of a multidrug-resistant fungal superbug, Candida auris.

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Superfund Success Story: Toxic Site Now Welcomes Walkers

Sep 30, 2019

A 47-acre contaminated Superfund site in Bellingham, Washington, has been cleaned up and now holds restored wetlands, walking paths, new trees and returning bird life.

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Melted Memorial: Vanished Ice Immortalized

Sep 30, 2019

Icelanders unveiled a plaque in an official ceremony in memory of Okjokull Glacier, or Ok Glacier, the first of its kind officially lost to climate change.

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Stop the Amazon Fires: Pressure the United Nations to Act

Sep 18, 2019

The Amazon rainforest is in a critical state of near-collapse with a record number of fires in Brazil this year—twice as many as in 2018—as the Brazilian government allows it to happen.

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Deathly Air Pollution: More Deadly Than Cigarettes

Aug 30, 2019

New research finds that toxic air is killing more people in Europe than tobacco smoking.

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Breathing Risk: Pollution Rises Across the U.S.

Aug 30, 2019

Air pollution in general worsened markedly across America between 2015 and 2017, likely due to raising temperatures from climate change.

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Brainy Beasts: Elephants Never Forget—What They Smell

Aug 30, 2019

Elephants have such sensitive olfactory discrimination that they can determine different amounts of food just by sniffing it.

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Trees Please: Rain Forest Dwindling

Aug 30, 2019

The Amazon Rain Forest continues to lose habitat for animals and plants by clear cutting practices that add to the burden of climate change.

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Whale Wipe-Out: Record Numbers Starving to Death

Aug 30, 2019 ● By Rachael Oppy

More than 160 dead gray whales have washed up on the Pacific Coast this year, and scientists estimate that they represent just 10 percent of the total number of the dead.

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Cola Quandary: Companies Urge Vietnam Recycling Plans

Aug 30, 2019

Suntory Holdings, a giant Japanese beverage company, has joined its rivals Coca-Cola and Nestlé to encourage new recycling strategies to fend off outlawing single-use plastic items.

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Growing Pains: Climate Changes Upend Farming

Aug 30, 2019

Cultivation throughout the U.S. is becoming more difficult because of unpredictable weather patterns, leading to higher prices and lowered productivity.

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Cetacean Liberation: Canada Bans Captive Sea Mammals

Aug 30, 2019

Canada’s Parliament recently passed legislation banning the practice of breeding and keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity.

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Sustainable Scrubbing: Tips for Toxin-Free House Cleaning

Aug 30, 2019

Safe and effective non-toxic, green cleaning solutions using natural ingredients that are good for our health and the planet.

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Eco-Camping: Keeping It Earth-Friendly

Aug 15, 2019

We can minimize our impact on nature while still enjoying it by using such strategies as buying tents made of recycled materials, forgoing single-use plastics, and packing our trash out instead of burning it.

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Fluorescent Findings: Artificial Light Tied to Inflammation

Aug 15, 2019

A new study found that fluorescent lights increase inflammation in the tissues and organs of animals.

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Tiny Flossers: Miniature Robots May Become Dental Technicians

Aug 15, 2019

A University of Pennsylvania scientific team has designed microscopic robots that can precisely and non-invasively remove teeth plaque.

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Floating Solar: Catching Some Rays on the Water

Aug 15, 2019

Installing floating solar panels on only a quarter of U.S. manmade reservoirs could generate about 10 percent of national energy needs.

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Bad Air: Pollution Harms Mental and Physical Health

Aug 15, 2019

Air pollution not only shortens lives, it makes psychotic experiences during adolescence more likely, new research shows.

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Moon Rocks: Tectonic Activity Shakes Geologists

Aug 15, 2019

Seismometers deployed by NASA astronauts half a century ago have picked up surprising “moonquakes” on our 4.6-billion-year-old moon.

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Copper Conflict: Opponents Fight Mine in Arizona Desert

Aug 15, 2019

Strong opposition is building against the federal approval of a massive copper mine in the midst of sacred indigenous land in Arizona that would have severe environmental impacts.

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Bagging It: New York State Bans Plastic Bags

Aug 15, 2019

The use of plastic bags in the Empire State—23 billion a year that mostly end up in landfills and waterways—will become illegal in March.

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Coral Care: Reefs to Get Their Day in Court

Aug 15, 2019

To fight the rapid decline of coral species, the Center for Biological Diversity is filing a lawsuit seeking protective action by the federal government under the Endangered Species Act.

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Hot Topic: Farmers Responding to Climate Change

Aug 15, 2019

Interest in regenerative agriculture, which stores more carbon dioxide in the soil, is growing so fast that 250 soil health bills have been introduced in legislative bodies in the last two years.

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Eco-Friendly Outdoor Eating: Save Resources, Reduce Food Waste and More

Jun 28, 2019

It’s eco-wise to fill our picnic basket with bamboo utensils, plant-based bug repellents, sustainable fish and glass containers.

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Dangerous Dozen: Produce to Avoid

Jun 28, 2019

Strawberries head the latest list of the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables with high levels of pesticide residues; avocados top the clean list.

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Wonder Weed: Hemp to the Rescue at Detox Sites

Jun 28, 2019

Hemp, the no-buzz industrial variety of cannabis, is cleaning nuclear radiation, cadmium, lead and mercury from toxic sites.

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Action Alert: Greenhouse Gases Hit Landmark

Jun 28, 2019

When carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit the highest levels ever recorded in human history in May, the networks’ nightly news devoted less than two minutes to climate change versus almost 18 minutes to the birth of the royal baby.

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Sunny Solution: Wastewater Turned into Hydrogen Fuel

Jun 28, 2019

A Princeton University team has designed a device that uses sunlight to pull hydrogen from industrial wastewater, which could allow factories to simultaneously treat wastewater and generate fuel.

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Alarm Sounded: Ireland Declares Climate Emergency

Jun 28, 2019

Following the UK governments of Wales and Scotland, the Republic of Ireland has declared a climate emergency that may lead to limits on oil and gas exploration and other measures.

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Pastoral Pollution: Drugs Found in Rural Rivers

Jun 28, 2019

Cocaine, pharmaceuticals and pesticides have been found in freshwater shrimp captured from rural rivers in the U.K.

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Too Blue: Algae Loss Colors Ocean

Jun 28, 2019

More than half of the surface area of the planet’s oceans may turn slightly bluer as marine phytoplankton disappear due to seawater warming.

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Green Surfing: Search Engine Company Plants Trees

Jun 04, 2019

Ecosia, a German Internet search engine, has planted more than 52 million trees in the last 10 years by diverting its advertising revenue to funding new trees worldwide.

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Aqua Breakthrough: Clean Water Solution in the Pipeline

Jun 04, 2019

Chinese scientists have used ultraviolet light and graphitic carbon nitride to purify two and a half gallons of water in one hour.

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Far Out: Earth’s Atmosphere Extends Past Moon

Jun 04, 2019

The outermost region of the Earth’s atmosphere has been newly determined to reach out much farther than the moon.

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Baby Balking: Climate Change Discourages Childbearing

Jun 04, 2019

The U.S. birthrate has been falling steadily, partly because prospective parents are worried about the increased frequency and intensity of storm, drought and wildfires, as well as about growing geopolitical unrest and resource scarcity.

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Revamping Recycling: China Forces U.S. Cities to Change Specs

Jun 04, 2019

China, a major importer of recycled waste, is rejecting shipments contaminated by greasy pizza boxes, polyethylene-lined disposable coffee cups, and plastics like yogurt cups and butter tubs.

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Action Alert: Banish Toxic Air in Plane Cabins

Jun 04, 2019

The Cabin Air Safety Act seeks to protect airline passengers and crew from toxic fumes that can occur when engine exhaust, fuel fumes, de-icing fluids or ozone is sucked through jet engines into the aircraft cabin.

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Hopper Stopper: Endangered Frogs Keep Millions of Acres as Habitat

Jun 04, 2019

Almost two million acres of California mountain habitat will remain a protected area for endangered frogs and toads after a federal court dismissed a cattlemen’s lawsuit challenging the designation.

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Mold Matters: Kill It Naturally

Jun 04, 2019

Toxic mold caused by heavy rains, leaky pipes, and high humidity can be removed with natural products like vinegar and tea tree oil, but extensive mold growth is best remediated by professionals using “green” cleaning methods.

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3-D Meat: Printer Produces Plant-Based Substitute

Jun 04, 2019

A researcher has developed a synthetic meat substitute using vegetable proteins that imitate protein complexes found in real meat and can be produced using a 3-D printer to mimic the texture of beef or chicken.

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Norwegian Nudge: Countries Learn from Recycling Strategy

May 31, 2019

Norway recycles a whopping 97 percent of its plastic bottles by making bottle deposit returns simpler, and rewarding participating companies with lower taxes.

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Post-Coal Cash: Miners Becoming Beekeepers

Apr 30, 2019

Displaced coal miners in the struggling Appalachians are learning beekeeping under a program funded by lawsuits for violations of the Clean Water Act.

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Poisoned Pastures: Nuclear Testing Linked to Radioactive Milk

Apr 30, 2019

Airborne radiation from nuclear bomb testing in Nevada during the Cold War contaminated pastures throughout the country, leading to 340,000 to 690,000 human deaths from radioactive milk, estimates an economist.

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Hatching a Record: Avian Senior Citizen Astounds Again

Apr 30, 2019

At age 68, Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross in a Hawaiian wildlife refuge, gave birth to at least her 30th chick.

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Bear Blitz: Climate-Challenged Polar Bears Invade Town

Apr 30, 2019

Confronted with melting ice, about 50 polar bears are roaming the streets and eating from the garbage dumps of a remote military town in Russia.

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Skip the Slip: Digital Receipts Gain Momentum

Apr 30, 2019

Proposed legislation in California would mandate digital receipts as a way to lower the carbon footprint and endocrine-disrupting effects of paper receipts.

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On the Brink: Monarchs Need Species Protections

Apr 30, 2019

Being listed as part of the Endangered Species Act would protect monarch butterflies, the numbers of which have plunged by roughly 97 percent in 20 years.

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Dim Prospects: Light Bulb Standards Weakened

Apr 30, 2019

A proposed rollback of stricter federal standards for energy-efficient light bulbs could cost each household about $100 a year on electric bills.

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Beyond Green Burial: Human Composting at the End of Life

Apr 30, 2019

It is now legal to compost human remains in the State of Washington, a pioneering process that can lower the carbon footprint of cremation and casket burial.

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Muddled Message: GMO Labeling Diluted

Mar 29, 2019

New federal rules gut Congressional GMO labeling legislation by exempting foods made with GMO ingredients, allowing 78 percent of products containing GMOs to avoid full disclosure.

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Worldwide Worry: Environmental Risks Register as Top Threat

Mar 29, 2019

Global leaders ranked “extreme weather” as their top concern, followed by “failed climate change mitigation” and “natural disasters” in the 2019 Global Risks Perception Survey.

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Over Dose: Citrus Crops to Receive Human Antibiotics

Mar 29, 2019

Two antibiotics commonly used on humans have been given the go-ahead by federal agencies for massive spraying on citrus crops to defeat a bacterial disease called citrus greening.

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Fuel Folly: Nuclear Waste Disposal Remains Elusive

Mar 29, 2019

Sixty-five years after the use of nuclear power, the dangers of accumulating nuclear waste in 14 countries are unresolved.

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Support Citizen Action Against Plastics

Mar 29, 2019

The Sierra Club is organizing a campaign to encourage corporations from participating in the Plastic Industry Association, which has been funding local campaigns that attempt to ban single-use plastic.

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Our Planet: Netflix Series Reveals Its Fragile Beauty

Mar 29, 2019

Our Planet, an eight-part sequel to the groundbreaking documentary Planet Earth, will showcase the most precious species and fragile habitats.

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Healthier Dry Cleaning: Non-Toxic Ways to Lower Risks

Mar 29, 2019

To avoid the hazardous chemicals of conventional dry cleaning, consumers can opt for “green” cleaners that use such processes as liquid silicone, “wet cleaning” with non-toxic agents and liquid carbon dioxide.

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Balancing Act: Endangered Species on the Rebound

Mar 29, 2019

More than 75 percent of protected marine mammals and sea turtles are growing in number, thanks to the Endangered Species Act.

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Poles Apart: Earth’s Extremities on the Edge

Feb 28, 2019

With the recent years of record-breaking temperatures, both the North Pole and South Pole are melting at alarming levels, say scientists.

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Eco Fill-up: Liquid Fuel Stores Solar Energy

Feb 28, 2019

Swedish scientists are developing a liquid molecule composed of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen that when exposed to sunlight, converts into a new isomer that theoretically can be released later to heat a household.

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Fake Foliage: Bionic Leaf Tops Plants in Photosynthesis

Feb 28, 2019

A new artificial photosynthesis system named Bionic Leaf 2.0 is ten times as efficient as normal plant photosynthesis at converting solar energy to biomass.

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Shocking Development: Oceanic Blasts Harm Ecosystems

Feb 28, 2019

Oil companies are using seismic airguns to find offshore oil and gas deposits from New England to Florida, killing marine wildlife, harming commercial fisheries and disrupting coastal economies.

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Techno Timber: Artificial Wood Resists Fire and Water

Feb 28, 2019

A new, lightweight synthetic wood made of polymer resin and chitosan, a sugar polymer derived from the shells of shrimp and crabs, can withstand fire and water damage.

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Wave This: Planet Earth Has a Flag

Feb 28, 2019

A new planetary flag designed by a Swedish student shows seven rings intertwined on a deep-sea-blue background, forming a flower in the middle.

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Transcendental Meditations: Near-Death Experiences Can Be Learned

Feb 28, 2019

Some Buddhist meditators can willfully induce mystical near-death experiences that typically occur only in people close to actual or perceived death.

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Spring Decluttering: Many Benefits of Reorganizing

Feb 28, 2019

Getting rid of the old can by done step by step, opening up space not only in our closets but in our psyches.

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Youth Climate Strike Coming to U.S.

Feb 28, 2019

Students are taking part in climate strikes around the world, and young activists in the U.S. will add their voices to the escalating #FridaysForFuture movement.

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Fish Revival: Shad Return After 174-Year Absence

Feb 01, 2019

Following the removal two years ago of an obsolete dam, shad have returned to New Jersey’s Millstone River for the first time since 1845.

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Bat Cave Rescue: Promising Progress Against Disease

Feb 01, 2019

A fungus known as white-nose syndrome is decimating U.S. bat species, but scientists hope that genetic strategies and cave treatments will turn the situation around.

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Horse Sense: Wild Horses Ride Out the Storm

Feb 01, 2019

The wild horse herds on North Carolina’s Outer Banks survived Hurricane Florence by huddling on high ground, hiding in maritime forests, and possibly by swimming.

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